Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-29

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that allowing children to make their own choices on everyday matters (such as food, clothes and entertainment) is likely to result in a society of individuals who only think about their own wishes. Other people believe that it is important for children to make decisions about matters that affect them.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Each and everyday of our life we make different choices that affect us in one or another. Either that choice is good or bad it is determined by the outcome that follows after we carry it out. so making choices is a very important part of our lives as human beings. We are taught to make choices from a very young age for instance a child is taught to choose between 2 toys to be bought for him or her by a parent; here they are giving the child power to make a choice. One would say this is good cause the child chooses one to his liking but in situations where the parent chooses gor the child, one will say your denying the power to choose for the child.

To some extend it is good that the child makes decision for themselves if the issue at hand is that which will not affect their lives greatly such as the choosing of the toy but when the issue is one that will cause a very significant change in their lifes , an adult can help them in making the decision such as on repeating a class when the child is performing badly in class. they can be guided to see through the advantages and disadvantages of repeating the class or going to the next class when they didn't do pretty well in the previous class.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You introduce the general importance of choice and give a relevant example of a child selecting a toy. You also suggest that adults should guide children when decisions have serious consequences, illustrated by the choice about repeating a class. However, the response only minimally addresses the task: it does not clearly explain the view that children’s choices may create self-centred adults, and the opposing view is only partly developed. Your own position is implied rather than stated clearly, and the discussion does not cover the everyday examples in the prompt in a balanced way. The response is also 15 words below the required minimum. Develop both views, state your opinion directly, and support each point with a fuller explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the opening introduces choice, and the second paragraph moves towards the idea that adults should guide children on consequential decisions. Examples such as choosing a toy and repeating a class help readers follow the topic. However, the response has no clear overall progression through both sides of the discussion, and the relationship between the examples and the prompt’s concern about selfishness is not made explicit. Linking is limited, with repeated use of “but” and “such as,” while the long opening sentence contains several ideas without clear separation. Use distinct paragraphs for each view and your opinion, and connect each example to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the general topic, including “choices,” “outcome,” “advantages and disadvantages,” and “significant change.” However, the range is limited and some expressions are inaccurate or awkward, which makes parts of the response less clear. For example, “Each and everyday of our life” is not a natural opening, and “your denying the power to choose” uses the wrong form and an imprecise phrase. There are also spelling errors such as “gor” and “lifes.” Aim for more precise language about autonomy, guidance, and responsibility, and check spelling and collocations carefully. This would make the discussion clearer and more appropriate to an academic essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a sentence beginning “To some extend it is good that the child makes decision for themselves” and a longer explanation of the school decision. The main ideas are generally understandable, but control is uneven: sentence boundaries and punctuation are often faulty, and some clauses are joined without clear structure. For example, “so making choices” begins a new sentence with a lowercase letter, while “they can be guided…” also starts a sentence without capitalisation. There are errors in agreement and number, as in “the child makes decision,” and the final sentence is difficult to manage grammatically. Use shorter, complete sentences and check articles, plurals, and punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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